Optical cross-connects are used to shift one or more light beams from one position in an array of light beams to another position in the array of light beams. Optical cross-connects may be used in routers for optical telecommunications systems, or in any situation where a set of optical input ports must be connected to another set of optical output ports, either programmably or in a fixed manner.
Prior systems and methods for providing optical cross-connects take up considerable space and are cumbersome.